Traveling to St. Lucia with kids has been on my list since 2012. So when we finally booked Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort for a week in May with our girls — Margaret (8) and Weezie (6) — the pressure was real. Here’s everything we’d actually want to know before booking, completely unfiltered.
Getting There
We flew into Hewanorra International (UVF), the closest airport to Sugar Beach. A resort rep meets you right outside the arrival lounge and walks you to your driver — a nice touch with two tired kids. From there it’s about a 45-minute transfer on winding roads.
We learned in Dominica back in March: Dramamine before the car ride is non-negotiable. Margaret listened to Harry Potter on her Yoto the whole way and didn’t make a sound.
The Resort: Rooms, the Hills, and How You Actually Get Around
Sugar Beach sits directly between the two Pitons, spread across more than 100 acres of rainforest on a steep hillside. That’s the trade-off nobody fully prepares you for: it is gorgeous, and it is hilly. This isn’t a flat resort you stroll across barefoot.
The resort solves this with a complimentary shuttle service running constantly between your room, the beach, the pool, and the restaurants. We used it daily, especially after a long beach day with two tired kids who did not want to walk back up a hill.
Our room had its own private plunge pool on the patio — this is standard across nearly every room category at Sugar Beach, not just the top-tier villas. If you’re traveling with kids and want separate sleeping space, look at the Two Bedroom Villa Residences — about 1,455 square feet, a primary bedroom plus a separate second bedroom, sleeping two adults and two children comfortably, with a full kitchen and private plunge pool.
We were in that pool within eight minutes of arriving. I had a plan. I was completely overruled.
There are also resort cats everywhere. Weezie, previously a self-declared horse-only person, is rethinking her whole life philosophy.
The Kids’ Club: Free, Genuinely Good, and Worth Building Your Days Around
Sugar Beach has a complimentary kids’ club called the Sugar Club, open daily from 9:30am to 5pm, for ages 4 to 12. Full daily program: treasure hunts, arts and crafts, coconut bowling, cookie decorating, tie-dying, fish feeding, and sandcastle building right on the beach. All included in your stay.
There’s also a Spice Club for tweens and teens — indoor games, table tennis, karaoke, arts and crafts — for the slightly older sibling who’s outgrown sandcastles.
On the mornings we used it, it gave us real guilt-free downtime — coffee on our own patio while the girls were genuinely occupied. If you’re planning a trip with kids in this age range, build at least one or two mornings around it.
Where We Ate
Bonté (at the resort) — Beach BBQ night here was a highlight. A huge spread, live music, and a dessert table I’m still thinking about.
My six year old ate bread. Just bread. At the five-star buffet with a chocolate fountain. She was the happiest person at the table.
Treetop Restaurant at Crystals Resort — About 30 minutes from Sugar Beach and worth every minute of the drive. Jungle setting, incredible décor, the kind of place that doesn’t feel real until you’re sitting in it. We brought Uno for the set menu and nobody complained once. Please note they serve Indian food–family style. My picky eater’s mostly ate bread and rice but the view was 100% worth it!
Saltwood (at the resort) — The resort’s fine dining spot in the Great House, dress code required. Easy and excellent for a night you don’t want to leave the property.
The Mango Tree — A solid dinner spot off-resort if you want a change of scenery without a long drive.
A note: we originally had Dasheene on our list but unfortunately they don’t accept kids under the age of 18 and swapped it out for Treetop instead — worth knowing if you’re traveling with kids. Treetop was amazing and I’m glad we were able to go with them. Reservations are a must, there aren’t many tables available.
Best Things to Do in St. Lucia with Kids
One of the best parts of St. Lucia with kids is how many activities are genuinely great for this age group.
Catamaran day, booked through the Sugar Beach concierge — rum punch, sodas, and life jackets included, with views of the Pitons from the water you simply don’t get on land.
Canopy zipline, also booked through the concierge — both girls did every line themselves, zero hesitation. One of the best things we’ve done together as a family.
Sulphur Springs mud bath — the Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano, and the single biggest hit of the entire trip. Bigger than the pool. Bigger than the buffet. All four of us completely covered in volcanic mud. Give this a full day.
A Few Notes If You’re Planning Your Own Trip
- Book excursions through the resort concierge — ours confirmed everything with plenty of notice.
- Pack snorkel gear from home — resort rentals add up fast and the girls wanted in immediately.
- Use the shuttle — the property is steep and there’s no reason to walk it in the heat when a ride is free and constant.
- Ask specifically about Two Bedroom Villa Residences if separate sleeping space matters to you.
- Dramamine before the airport transfer. Non-negotiable.
Final Verdict
St. Lucia with kids is worth every bit of the planning it takes to get there. Sugar Beach was worth the splurge — not just for the views, but for how much thought has gone into making it work for families, from the free kids’ club to the two-bedroom layouts to the shuttle system that makes a steep hillside resort manageable with kids.
The mud bath was the trip’s biggest surprise — nobody expected it to beat the chocolate fountain, but here we are.
We waited 14 years. Don’t wait that long.
Have questions about our trip? Drop them in the comments below.
